1B - Jason Giambi - B+

Giambi has rebounded nicely from an injury plagued 2007 and looks like he still has more in the tank. Credit Girardi for continuing to keep running him back out there during an abysmal April. Giambi's 144 OPS+ looks great, but his grade is knocked down a bit because just like everyone else on the 2008 Yankees, he hasn't hit with RISP.
 

2B - Robinson Cano - D+

Robinson Cano is probably the single biggest reason for the Yankees' disappointing season so far. Other players have been worse, but none have a larger gap between their projected and actual performance. Cano has shown signs of life recently, but the Yankees are going to need him to revert to his All-Star form if they have any hope of making a run in the second half. The plus in his grade is for his defense, which for all his shortcomings at the plate, has been dazzling.
 

SS - Derek Jeter - C+

Jeter is having a decidedly mediocre season, and like Cano, his shortcomings have compounded the Yankees' offensive woes. Unlike Cano however, Jeter is at an age where any evidence of decline has to be a serious worry. More likely, Jeter was hurt more than the Yankees let on when he was hit on the hand by Daniel Cabrera on May 20th. In the last month, he is hitting .312/.380/.450, right in line with his career averages. Believe it or not, Jeter's grade here is buoyed partially by his defense. After the mainstream media had finally caught up with what the defensive metrics have been saying for years, Jeter goes out and shows marked improvement. A half season of defensive data isn't much of a sample, but even to the naked eye, Jeter is making more plays up the middle than he has in years.
 

3B - Alex Rodriguez - A-

Alex is having a much quieter season than his remarkable 2007, but it's hard to find fault with a 158 OPS+ combined with solid defense. He has an .812 OPS with RISP, which isn't terrible, but given the current state of the Yankee offense, when he doesn't come through there is a real feeling that the Yankees won't score for another 2 innings. As he showed in 2005 and 2007, Alex is capable of putting this team on his back and carrying them to the postseason. The Yankees are hoping he can do it again.
 

C - Jose Molina - B-

The offense is dreadful with a 54 OPS+, but we have to remember that Molina was signed to be the backup catcher. He was clearly exposed playing everyday in Jorge's absence, but that is also not his job. As a backup, he can hit the occasional extra-base hit while playing top notch defense. He has a great arm and has shut down the opposing teams' running game over the last two weeks.
 

LF - Johnny Damon - A-

One of the few bright spots in the Yankee lineup this season. Before running into a wall last weekend and hitting the DL for the first time in his career, Damon was having a fantastic season. Damon was hitting .319/.387/.470 with 32 XBH's while playing a stellar LF. The Yankees desperately need Damon to return healthy and hitting like he was before he was injured.
 

CF - Melky Cabrera - F+

Melky jumped out of the gate on a tear, hitting .299/.370/.494 in April and making Brian Ca$hmoney look temporarily smart for holding onto him. Unfortunately for Melky (and Brian), when the calendar flipped to May, he turned back into a pumpkin. He's hit .220/.275/.292 since then, and is in serious danger of losing his job to Brett Gardner when Johnny Damon returns. The plus is for his defense, which by most measures, has been well above average this year.
 

RF - Bobby Abreu - C-

Another on the long list of Yankee disappointments this season. Abreu has run hot and cold this year. He had a torrid May (.330/.407/.570) but hasn't done much since. This is another guy the Yankees desperately need to start hitting if they expect to make the postseason. His defense has clearly slipped as well.
 

DH - Jorge Posada - INC

Jorge has been decent when he's been in the lineup, but unfortunately for the Yankees, that has only been for about half their games this year. His shoulder injury has prevented him from catching most of the time, which has had a ripple effect on the lineup as it forces Molina's bat into the starting lineup and blocks the DH for another productive hitter.
 

Manager - Joe Girardi - B

Girardi has not made every perfect decision. He has shown that he will make many of the same "by the book" decisions that every other manager does (forcing a "speedy" lead-off guy into the top of the lineup, keeping Mariano in the bullpen in extra innings on the road, etc.), but all in all, he has done a solid job in his first half year in NY. He has taken what is largely the same cast of characters that Torre had available to him in the bullpen, and has actually turned it into something decent. While Vizcaino and Proctor are home with elbow troubles this year, no one in the Yankee pen has really been overworked. Extra credit for squeezing some very useful innings out of Kyle Farnsworth.